Average Risk Taker
by Liarr
Summary: Quil has been my best friend since before I can remember. He's like a big brother, a protector, and well... a puppy. Actually, I suppose he's more of a horse-sized wolf than a puppy. The thing is, I think I'm falling for him though." ClairexQuil.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or any recognizable characters.**

**A/N: This is going to be a short story about Claire; how she handles finding out that Quil imprinted on her several years ago, how she puts up with her Mom's new dorky boyfriend, and how she deals with being a measly freshmen. Maybe six or seven chapters, depending on how much you guys like it. So, please don't hesitate to tell me what ya'll think.**

**Rawr.**

* * *

**Average Risk-Taker:**

**Chapter 1.**

I woke up to a very, very, _very_ annoying sound that I knew all too well. And I think every other teenager in America will agree with me when I say that 6:00 AM is too freaking early to wake up, even for school or whatever. Seriously, it took all of my self-control to not reach over to my side table, grab the damn alarm clock, and chuck it out of my window. Instead I just rolled over to face away from the stupid device, mumbling profanities under my breath as I did so.

There was only one good prospect about waking up this early to face my personal prison only an hour and a half later, and that was to see Quil Ateara.

Quil has been my best friend since before I can remember, and I owe him more than I could ever afford. He's like a big brother, a protector, and well... a puppy. Actually, I suppose he's more of a horse-sized wolf. Yeah, Quil Ateara is a freaking werewolf - a freaking werewolf who takes the liberty of driving me to school every morning.

That was the point when I realized I was smiling softly to myself, and I immediately shook my head groggily to rid the stupid expression. It was embarrassing to be so happy to see someone, even when that person knew me better than I did. See, the thing is, I think I'm falling for my werewolf.

OK, maybe it's stupid to fall for him. I've only just turned 15, and he's like... older than me. I'm not sure how old, considering him and all of my Uncles (and Aunt) look the same age they've always done. It's something to do with the werewolf gene, I guess. It's like, no matter how much you age on the inside, as long as you can just 'poof' into a fur-ball then you don't age on the outside. (And between you and me, they haven't actually seemed to age much on the inside either. If you don't believe me, then go to Emily's and watch them having XBox duels.)

But still, Quil is old, and I'm not.

Yet I still can't help wanting what Aunt Emily, Aunt Rachel, and Kim have though.

"Claire! Get your skinny ass outta bed already!" I groaned, trying to block out my Mother's sudden yelling. I'd been so lost in my thoughts that I had actually managed to drown out my alarm, and the persistent shouts from downstairs. I was actually kind of proud of myself, but I just shook my head again and rolled out of bed - literally.

Landing hard on my wooden floor, I winced. Unfortunately, this wasn't an unusual action for me, and even with my layers and layers of blankets wrapped around me, it still hurt.

"Claire!!!" My Mother's voice filled my ears again.

Slowly, I got to my knees, reached over to turn my alarm on snooze, and then stumbled over to my wardrobe. I had dozens of clothes given to me by Uncle Jacob's extended family, better known to those in the pack as The Cullens. Yeah, they're so prominent around a town they can't even come into, that they have a capital 'T' on the 'The' part. I've met The Cullens once, and that was Christmas two years ago. They were nice, they were friendly, and they were vampires - part of the reason that Quil hasn't let them near me since, whether it's for my own safety, or for their own health.

Anyways, Alice, a vampire who's probably the nicest person you could meet - after Emily, that is - insisted on buying me lots of presents (a.k.a clothes) for that one occasion, and me being me, I accepted them all - much to Quilly's disappointment. I don't get what his problem is with vampires. OK, apart from the fact that they are his natural enemies, but still, they are kinda nice to just chill out with. (No pun intended.)

So Alice bought me the clothes which, due to my body not developing quickly enough in the past 24 months, still fit me snugly.

I pulled out a pair of Calvin Klein jeans and stroked the denim once. These were my favorite pair, and whenever I actually met Alice Cullen again I would thank her a million and one times. Folding the jeans onto my left arm, I rummaged in the wardrobe for the Green Day t-shirt Uncle Brady had brought me back from a concert last year. I can't deny that when I finally found it underneath a pair of unwashed sweats that I actually squeaked with joy.

I closed the doors to my wardrobe, then proceded in getting dressed into my chosen outfit.

"For God's sakes! Claire Young, ge-" I cut Mom off, feeling equally as pissed as she probably did. Mom was usually carefree, and often didn't worry about me sleeping past my alarm because either way, Quil would come and wake me up in time. Today was for some reason different though, and I quickly realized why. Mom had a job interview in Port Angeles this morning, and if she was rushing around then she would easily be willingly to make me rush, too.

"I'M AWAKE, MOTHER!" I practically screamed, shutting her up. All I did next was quickly brush my hair, then throw it up into a ponytail before heading downstairs to meet with my disgruntled parent.

The stairs creaked comfortingly under my bare feet, and I took them two at a time. Just as I reached the bottom step, the front door which was parallel to me opened to reveal the guy that I was pathetically falling in love with.

"Morning, Claire," He grinned that familiar grin at me; the one that forced me to subconsciously grin back.

I took in Quil before I replied. He was dressed in the uniform that both packs wore, which consisted of a pair of shorts or cut-offs, and either a wife-beater or nothing else at all. Today, Quil had nothing covering his muscled torso, and I had to bite my lip.

"Hey," Was all I could manage in the end.

He just continued to watch me the way he always did, and I made my way past him into the kitchen, where Mom was bustling around with her cell to her ear. She gave me a thin smile, then turned back to trying to make herself a cup of coffee whilst she talked to whoever she was talking to.

I slumped myself in one of the chairs that surrounded our small yet cluttered table, and sighed as Quil did the same. Even if my feelings for him were changing, his actions were not. It was always the same routine, day after day, and I wouldn't want it any other way. I picked up a piece of fruit from the bowl that sat in the centre of the table, next to a pile of unsorted papers - which was mainly my untouched homework from last semester.

"OK, OK, I'll get on as soon as I get back from the interview," I heard Mom say into her phone and I began pealing my slightly green banana. Quil met my eyes from across the table, and he smiled goofily at me.

"Done all your homework?" He asked in a quiet, yet teasing tone.

I rolled my dark eyes at him, bit into the banana, swallowed and then simply said, "Nope."

He shook his buzzed head, laughing slightly to himself, "Ya know, maybe if you did some work you wouldn't be falling behind in your classes. It worries me that you take your education with such little interest,"

"It's not like you paid attention in school, so don't talk shit," I told him, and he frowned. I had him there, and I was momentarily triumphant.

"I had a reason," He mumbled shortly under his breath.

"And so do I," I just ate some more banana before I could say anything else stupid.

"Laziness doesn't count," He laughed, and I felt my cheeks blush a deep red.

"Neither does having a tail," His laughter stopped short, and all I could do was roll my eyes at him. I may be winning the argument, but it's not like I was making myself appealing to this guy. Weren't guys attracted by beautifully naive damsels who always said the right thing at the right time? Guys definitely weren't attracted to flat-chested fifteen years old who couldn't keep their mouths shut.

Our silence was broken by Mom hanging up and then realizing that Quil, who she'd practically adopted, was in the room, too.

"OH! G'morning Quil!" I'm sad to say that my forty-something year old Mom actually squealed out that last sentence.

"Morning, Marie," He gave her a half-hearted smile, and I felt my heart flutter, even though it wasn't directed at me. Quil had always been a charmer when my Mother was concerned, and Mom had always babied him as much as she did me. She knew about the pack, and she treated them as if they were in fact just neighborhood strays or something (not as in leaving bowls of dog foot out by the road, more like leaving spare clothes in the bushes behind our house).

Mom put her cell down on the table, still smiling to herself as she began chattering away to us like every morning. It was only 6:30 something, I was almost dead on my feet, and they were actually holding a conversation. They may be the two people I care for most in the world, but they still piss the hell outta me at times.

At one point during their little back and forth, Quil looked at me. And I mean, he really looked at me - like as if he'd seen me for the first time. As if he saw me differently. And I'll admit, whatever had clicked in his mind, I was extremely pleased with it. I hadn't actually heard whatever Mom had said to make him give me that look, but I'd heard the word 'lifetime'.

"So, what do you think Claire?" I didn't know what I thought, let alone what they were talking about. I was too busy staring at my best friend, who had now turned away from me to look at the small TV we had on the counter by the fridge. It was on cartoons, as usual, and he was slowly becoming hypnotized by them, as usual. Reluctantly, I diverted my gaze from him, and met my Mom's. She was expecting the response which I had not yet mustered.

"Huh?"

She sighed impatiently, giving Quil a meaniful look, which I guess he didn't catch. So she repeated to me what she'd just suggested to him. _Even though Quil has more than an average lifetime to finish school, you'll get older and graduate, or you might not graduate at all unless you get better grades. So, we've thought about it, and we want to enroll you in Summer school._ All I could do was stare at her.

"_Summer school_?" I breathed.

"Yes, Sum-" She started, but I interrupted with screaming.

"YOU WANT ME TO GO TO _SUMMER_ FUCKING _SCHOOL_?" And lets just say that Mom wasn't happy with my use of the 'F' word...


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or any recognizable characters.**

**A/N: OK, so Fanfiction is a bitch, and wouldn't let me put the little 'dash' thingy between Risk and Taker. So... yeah. You'll get to see two sides of Claire in this chapter; her unexistent maternal side, and her generic teenage side. But still, thanks to everyone who reviewed, alerted or whatever. Here's chapter 2. **

**Rawr.**

* * *

**Average Risk-Taker:**

**Chapter 2.**

"Miss Young, are you even paying the slightest bit of attention to my lesson?"

This time, it was my Math teacher's voice that woke me from my dreams, and I've got to say I was more than a little annoyed. I was inclined to reply 'no' to his question, but I held my tongue for once in my life and saved myself a detention. I met Mr. Strokes' strict gaze, and shifted awkwardly in my seat.

The girl next to me, who I was fairly acquainted with, snorted at my displeasure, and I was about that close to decking her when Strokes' deep, reprimanding voice boomed again.

"I believe I asked you a question, Miss Young. It's simply rude to ignore someone - by sleeping, and by impertinence." OK, so I'll admit I had no clue what the fuck 'impertinence' meant, but still, he was being more rude by wasting my time than I was by ignoring his lectures. He just continued to stare at me, firm and expectant. I scowled back, not in the least bit happy about being confronted for the hundredth time this month.

"Sorry," I mumbled, not really feeling apologetic at all, then turned to face the window.

I heard Strokes sigh, and then he went back to trying to teach his merciless (and pointless) lesson. I just gazed out the dirty window, willing school to end quicker than probably possible. It was the first reasonably sunny day in Washington, and I was stuck in the worst lesson of all time.

I couldn't help but wonder what the guys (well, the guys who no longer attended prison) were doing at the moment, whether they were at Emily's just eating lunch... or playing XBox again... or if they'd picked up a scent... or... God, I was bored. I looked down at my textbook, still bored, and I came to the conclusion that I'd never be able to understand any of the work that the book held - with or without the help of Summer Fucking school.

Exhaling slowly, I began to become lost in my thoughts.

I wondered if Mom got that job yesterday. I wondered what Kim would call her second child, whom she was currently pregnant with. I wondered what Emily would be cooking for dinner tonight. I wondered if Embry had managed to win the baseball tickets he'd entered a competition for three weeks ago. I wondered if I'd ever develop breasts. I wondered if my undeveloped breasts would ever be as big as Aunt Rachel's. I wondered if I'd ever meet The Cullens again.

Sometimes, I even wondered if awkward humans like me have mortal enemies, like the pack have The Cullens. If I do, then it's probably Math, or at least something to do with school or Summer school or whatever. Maybe I was born to destroy giant calculators, like Quil was born to destroy leeches.

It took me a moment to realize that I'd actually giggled out loud about my theory. The girl next to me, whose name I still couldn't remember, snorted again, and this time I actually did punch her.

Five minutes later and I was outside Principal Strom's office...

* * *

Friday.

The first day of my 3 day suspension.

I actually think that I might die from deprivation of a social life, or at least from lack of creative things to do. Now, it might sound alright to have be able to sleep in till noon, laze around the house for the rest of the day, then go back to sleep not that long after I awoke, but honestly it's the closest thing I've ever experienced to Hell.

Sleeping in till noon is not an option, thanks to my Mother and the rest of my God-forsaken family. Nor is lazing around the house. Emily and Rachel have gone shopping in Seattle, and have left me with their kids. Well, Rachel's son is at school, and Emily's two other kids are there, too. Thankfully for me. Right now, I'm actually sitting in my kitchen, glaring at the four year old twins which sadly belong to Aunt Emily and Uncle Sam. It's hard to believe that such a kind women could have such unkind, annoying, stupidly evil offspring. They wanted to bake a cake, I said OK, and now I've only just finished scraping it off of the kitchen ceiling.

How stupid is it to trust a girl who can't even make herself toast with the charge of two kids? How pathetic is it that my only companions still watch Barney? How crazy is it that I'm actually mumbling aggressive-sounding Quileute words I don't even know the meanings of under my breath as I try to think of something safe for the pups to do? Was this really a fair punishment for hitting someone I didn't even like? Unfortunately for me, it probably was.

"Can we do that again!" Ellen asked in a high-pitched squeal that made me visibly wince.

"Yeah! Pwease!" Chimed in Ellen's almost identically annoying brother, Alex. I groaned inwardly, forcing myself not to throw the sponge I was currently clenching a fist around at their small heads. I'll say it now, I'm not a child person. I seriously don't know how anyone can stay sane after raising children.

"No," I said, gritting my teeth.

"Pwease?" Alex repeated, trying to play the all too ironic puppy-dog-eyes.

"Alexander Uley, I said no," I replied quietly, putting the sponge back in the cabinet under the sink. I turned to face them, where they were seated at my cluttered, wooden table. Ellen was four minutes older than Alex, and had Emily's warm hazel eyes, and the common Quileute dark hair. Alex's hair was curly though, and his eyes were almost as dark as his Father's. He was also slightly smaller than his sister, with a dimple on his chin.

"What're we gonna do then?" Ellen sighed, resting her little head in her proportionally tiny hands.

"How about you two go sit on the couch, and watch TV quietly?" I offered, hoping desperately that they might actually listen to me _for once_. And surprisingly, they did - for about a whole two seconds, anyway.

I banged my head against the south wall of my kitchen as I listened to them bouncing on the couch cushions, screaming as they did so. I felt like screaming, too.

Two hours passed and I managed to calm them down enough to watch television in a kinda of quiet way. Shouting quietly was kinda quiet, wasn't it? Oh well. My head was throbbing, and by the sixth episode of Scooby-Doo I had to go back into the kitchen to get a glass of water. I got a cup from the cupboard, filled it from the tap and then sighed deeply. I could still hear Alex and Ellen chatting contently from the the other room, and I sighed again, leaning on the draining board.

"Not much of a babysitter, are you?" As soon as I registered that the question had been spoken from quite close behind me, I gasped and turned around on my heel to face the intruder. "Hey!" Was all I heard next as I hit the person as hard as I could in the crotch. Then, slowly, I realized who it was, and once again I gasped.

"Quil!" I went on tiptoes so that I could hug him, not sure how I could apologize at all.

His hot arms closed around me tightly in response to the embrace, and I felt myself smile involuntarily. Then I felt his torso rack with laughter, and I heard the pitter-patter of tiny feet behind us. I slowly released him, and he slowly let me go - a smile now on his face. Alex frowned up at us, then he turned and whispered something to his sister, who giggled. I knew Quil probably heard what they said, but I really couldn't care to ask him. I was too embarrassed about attacking him to even speak at the moment.

"Awe you coming to play with us, too, Qwilly?" Alex stammered, grinning up at his Uncle. Quil grinned back, then bent down to pick Alex up onto his shoulders. Sometimes I wondered how the members of La Push's wolf packs could be at peace with each other's blood relations when they sometimes weren't even at peace with each other. I was just grateful that my best friend knew how to handle the future werewolves.

That was another plus on Quil, I guess. He was good with kids, as well as being funny, friendly, playful, and reasonably cocky. But then again, he was also irritating at times, he was occasionally too cocky, he was a soar-loser, too, and he never stopped eating when he was playing video-games (which actually did kinda amaze me. If anyone said boys couldn't multitask, then they obviously hadn't met the boys on the Rez'). So, with all of those things in mind, I couldn't help but love him. I just dreaded the day that he found out.

I watched him as he lifted Ellen onto his other shoulder, so that the tyke's heads were just brushing the finally clean ceiling. They screamed with joy, running their hands above their heads happily. I was happy, too, even if they were making stupidly loud noises. I was happy that someone who could kind of control them was here. I was happy that Quil Ateara was here.

"What's on the agenda then, Clairy-Fairy?" He turned to me, meeting my gaze. I smiled even wider in recognition to his use of my old nickname.

"Yeah!" Ellen squealed, patting his buzzed head.

I shrugged, tucking my bangs behind my right ear. "How about we watch a film?"

"Sounds good!" Alex was pulling Quil's ears outwards so that he looked like Shrek. I couldn't help but laugh.

I let them go into the living room first, then I went in and sat down between Ellen and Quil. The four-year old curled into my side, and oddly enough I found myself playing with her hair. I had come to the decision that I would never myself have kids, unless they were very quiet and well-behaved kids. But it was still nice to spend time with usually badly-behaved children when they were being quiet.

"Was I troublesome as child?" I asked Quil, who had until then been consumed by The Jungle Book.

"Hell yeah," He breathed in an answer, and I leant my head against him, still twirling Ellen's black hair.

It was strange to feel so suddenly content. I was sitting on a couch with Quil and two little children, and I couldn't be happier. God, I sounded sappy, didn't I?

* * *

I woke up in the middle of the night, some time between Saturday and Sunday.

I don't know why I woke up, whether it was the loudness of the rain beating on my window, or some nightmare I couldn't remember, I don't know. I was awake though, and I knew I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep straight away. Sighing, I just rolled over to face my bedroom wall.

It was cold in my room, but that was usual. I missed the heat of my werewolves. I missed the rare sunlight that touched our small reservation. I missed the idea of any warmth or light at all, and especially at this time of night the bleakness of Washington was getting to me. Maybe I could move away, somewhere where it isn't rainy or freezing, but instead sunny all year round. However, that somewhere had to have a forest. Because I had to have the packs in my life.

I actually felt myself wince to just imagine life without them. It would be worse than having to babysit the future werewolves. It would be worse than having to babysit any kinds of kids. It would be worse than Math, for God's sakes.

At that moment I realized that even if Quil never fell in love with me, I would still be in love with the fact that he would still be friends with me. I would be in love with him for as long as I could. And if that meant staying in this Hellhole then I would.

I sighed again.

* * *

"Would you rather... eat a moldy jar of peanut-butter that's sell by date ran out before you were even born, or wear Seth's underwear for a month?" I'm embarrassed to announce that these were the type of questions that made up the majority of my Sunday afternoon.

I was perched on the edge of an upturned tree, with Quil, Uncle Embry, Owen and Uncle Collin gathered around me on the forest floor. Owen was one of the newest members of Sam's pack, and to make him feel welcome we'd dragged him out to one of our favorite and most secretive clearings to mess with his head. And so far the whole 'messing with his head' part hadn't been taken into action. Instead, we were actually playing Would You Rather and Truth or Dare. Fun. Fun. Fucking fun.

"Peanut-butter," Embry answered, smirking confidently. "Seth's draws would be _way_ too small for me."

Quil barked out the first laugh, and we all joined in instantly. This may not have been the most productive thing they could have done in-between shifts, but it was probably the funniest, and I was enjoying the games so far anyway.

"So..." Embry looked around the make-shift circle we had formed and then his black eyes fell upon me. As I said, I'd been enjoying the games_ so far_. Depending on whatever Em came up with, I would either hate this game to heck, or I would still be content with joining in with the hooligans that made up my family. Wait... did I seriously just use the word 'hooligans'? Worrying.

"Claire," He finally announced that he'd be torturing me, and continued. Quil's large, boiling hand was in mine, and I felt myself grip it tighter. "Would you rather climb up the tree over there, right to top - and you'd have to stay up there for at least five hours," He gestured to one of the insanely tall evergreens that surrounded us, then continued with the second option. "Or would you rather go up to some air-head tourists, crying your eyes out whilst claiming that you found out you were a actually a boy - it's just that you had always had too small a dick to realize?"

Embry's goal was to torture me, wasn't it.

Not only was I scared of heights (thus the reason I never, ever complied to going tomb-stoning with them), but I actually had enough self-control to not even think about doing something so stupid. I looked up at the damned tree, and thanked God that these scenarios were only hypothetical at the present.

"Tree," I said finally, squeezing Quil's hand so hard that I would probably obtain bruises on my own palm.

"Ooh. Such a daredevil," Owen mocked, wiggling his fuzzy eyebrows at me.

"Such an ass-wipe..." I breathed, knowing that they'd be able to hear me no matter how quiet I said it. I still said it, earning raucous laughter from my companions.

It was true that in Sam's pack everyone knew everything about everyone, and in Jake's pack it was the same, however that didn't mean that I knew anything about the guys I spent nearly all of my time with. Sometimes I actually wondered why they allowed me to spend time with them, why they let me know what they really were, why they even bothered with me at all. Aunt Emily had a reason to know, she was an imprint. Kim had a reason to know, she was an imprint. Aunt Rachel had a reason, she was even an imprint. But who was I? No one had imprinted on me, had they?

Something strange suddenly occurred to me, and I automatically looked at Quil. He was laughing along with the others still, his face lit up by his current happiness. He always had been so beautiful to me, always so important and prominent. What was I to him though? Just his little best friend. Just a measly little freshman. Even with the fact that him imprinting on me was near impossible in mind, I still said what I said next with as much determination that I could muster.

"Lets play Truth or Dare. _Now_."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any recognizable characters.**

**A/N: I am so damn tired. So... fucking... damn... tired. I went to be at 5 A.M. yesterday, woke up at 8 A.M. and went to bed at 2:30 A.M. last night. But still. Here's chapter three, please drop some reviews, so that I can happily drop the bags round my eyes.**

**Rawr.**

* * *

**Average Risk Taker:**

**Chapter 3.**

"Lets play Truth or Dare. _Now_."

The second I said it, I wished I hadn't. I was just going to embarrass myself, Quil would think I was ridiculous, and then he'd never even want to come anywhere close to imprinting on me. But still, the guys had composed themselves, and were now ready to play. Oh, Hell...

"OK. Who wants to go first?" Collin asked, dusting off the back of his basketball shorts.

I looked at them all, trying not to let my eyes linger on my best friend. I wanted to rewind time so that I'd never even thought about the whole imprinting business. I wanted to rewind time so that I could have declined Quil and Em's offer to come out here to the woods. I wanted to be back at Aunt Emily's house, where I knew she wouldn't let me do anything stupid like this. She'd calm me down, subtly tell me that I was being silly, and then she'd make everything better. However, Emily rarely came out to the woods now she had kids of her own to look after. She wasn't going to save my ass now.

"C-c-can I?" I stammered eventually, and the boys shrugged in unison. I took a deep breath, trying to work out exactly what I would say. Then I mentally smacked myself, because I was really stupid, wasn't I? I could've asked to play the game, realized what a big mistake I was making, and then shut my big mouth. But staying quiet has never been a good skill of mine, and now it and my own stupidity will be my downfall.

"Well..." Quil raised an eyebrow at me, and it suddenly registered in my mind that I had been quiet for nearly three minutes. "Claire, are you OK?" He got up from the ground slowly, and then came and sat next to me on the upturned tree. He rested his large hands on my shoulders and gave me a reassuring smile. "Do you want to go home?"

And I idiotically said, "No. I want to play."

I mentally punched myself this time, with all the force my imagination could manage.

"I pick Embry," I picked him because he never lies. He just nodded slightly, and sat up straight to face me. "Truth or Dare, Em?" I half-hoped he would pick dare, so that I could make myself dare him to do something possibly dangerous to his health, not so that I could dare him to say something dangerous to my friendship with Quil. All I could do now was take a deep breath, and hope.

"Truth," I've got to admit I wasn't that surprised by his answer, considering the last time we played dares he had to climb up onto the roof of the Tribal Council hut, grab onto their TV antennae, and scream about how the Mother-ships were coming back for him. So, Embry picked dare, and it was suddenly up to me whether I wanted to ruin my own life. Then I heard a small voice in the back of my mind, _what if it doesn't ruin your life? What if Quil Ateara has imprinted on you?_

I thought about that possibility for a moment. I'd known Quil all my life. He'd been able to sprout fur during the entirety of that time. That would mean he would have had to imprint on me when I was like, a toddler, which is sick. _But what if it's true?_I told the voice to shut up, and I finally concluded that it was impossible that I was Quil's imprintee.

"Tell me everyone's who has imprinted. And tell me the truth," _And please don't hate me_.

They were all silent. Embry had closed his eyes, and was leaning backwards so that his head was titled to the sky. This was the same action people do when they pray to God for help, but since I knew Embry wasn't in the least bit religious, he was probably trying to stop himself from laughing. Collin and Owen were exchanging some sort of silent conversation with each other. And Quil. Quil had taken his hands off of my shoulders, and was just staring at me - his eyes practically bugging out.

Stupid, stupid, _stupid_ Claire.

"Sam and Emily. Jared and Kim. Paul and Rachel. Jacob and Nessie. And -" Embry's statement was cut off by Leah's entrance into the clearing. She took in our expressions of unease and anxiousness, and then she let out a low whistle.

"Jesus Christ, you guys look like you found out that McDonalds have gone out of business," She commented, and gave me a tight-lipped smile which I tried to return.

"Nah." Quil mumbled, never looking away from me. "We were just playing Truth or Dare. And it's Claire's turn now." I was shocked at how flat his voice was as he spoke. I think everyone else was as well, but they didn't say anything, and nor did I. It was then that I noticed Quil had moved further down the log, as if I was repelling him.

"So, Truth or Dare, Clairy-Fairy?" Leah asked, sitting down.

"Whatever..." I mumbled, feeling completely withdrawn from the game now.

"Fine. Dare." Owen smirked at me, and I just rolled my eyes. I felt like a big enough idiot already, but whatever they were about to make me do would ruin my day even further - and of that I was sure.

"I dare you to go up to a group of tourists, start crying and when they ask what's wrong, say you only just found out you were a boy, beca-"

I interrupted Collin off by getting up off of the tree, and walking away out of the clearing. I was only just past the first round of evergreens when I felt a rain drop on my cheek. All I could do was keep walking, my limbs shaking uncontrollably with every step I took.

* * *

I went to Aunt Rachel's after Truth or Dare, not wanting to go home or to Emily's.

After she put her kid, a six year old called Jack, to bed, we went and sat in her kitchen. Well, the whole house actually belonged to her and her husband, my Uncle Paul, but in the pack we tend to refer to the properties being owned by the females. The males did have the woods from here till Canada after all.

Aunt Rachel was Jacob Black's sister, and one of my best friends. She was a very maternal person at times, just like Emily and Kim, but she was also courageous, too. She'd given up her place at college when she found out Paul had imprinted on her one summer nearly twelve years ago. He was adamant that she finished, but she didn't want to be away from him in the end. Their relationship was odd considering they'd actually hated each other as kids, and now they were inseparable.

"Are you hungry, Kiddo?" She asked, giving me a worried look.

I just shrugged in response.

Rachel was leaning over her stove, trying half-heartedly not to burn the mac and cheese she'd put on for Paul. Compared to any of my other 'Aunts', Rach had to be the worst cook, and she admitted it freely half the time. But I guess tonight she was just trying to do something nice for her werewolf.

"Shit," She mumbled under her breath as she accidently burned her index finger. She winced and dropped the wooden spoon she'd been stirring the food with, and I automatically got off of my seat, went over to the tap and turned the faucet.

"Put it under," I told her, feeling a little more grown-up then I'd felt in weeks. She complied, and I felt slightly proud of myself.

"You'd be good as a Pack-Mother," She told me quietly, and I frowned.

The Pack-Mothers were the women who looked after the werewolves and future werewolves, like Sue Clearwater, my Mom and Emily. They cooked food, collected the scraps of clothes that were occasionally left around the Peninsula, and they well... they just helped keep the tribe safe, they kept the secret safe, and they altogether kept the packs safe. But the thing is, Pack-Mothers were only imprints, or mature women that cared for the guys. I was obviously not an imprint, nor mature.

So, I couldn't help but frown, and say, "As if,"

She just stared at me for a second as the cold water ran over her brown fingers. Then she just shook her head. "I think Sam and Jake need to hold another tribe meeting - for your benefit, Kiddo,"

"But there's already been a meeting this month," Rachel just sighed, turned the water off and dried her hands. I tucked my loose bangs behind my ears, and returned to my seat. We didn't talk again until Paul came through the door twenty minutes later. He was wearing stained jeans and an old, rugged wife-beater. He grinned widely at me, then closed the gap between him and his wife. They embraced each other tenderly, and I looked away.

Just more reminders of what I'll probably never have.

"Claire, I heard you bailed on a dare," He said to me once he was done playing tonsil tennis.

"News travels fast," I muttered under my breath, and then rested my head in my hands. I wanted nothing more than to just rewind to Friday, when I was completely at peace with Quil and the pups. I wanted to be a Pack-Mother, I truly did. However, I knew it was more likely that I'd be bitten by The Cullens.

* * *

Monday.

I'm sitting in Jacob Black's lounge, playing XBox with him, Seth and Quil. I decided that instead of asking about imprinting, I'd ask a little more about The Cullens. One of them was technically part of the pack, so they were techincally family, right?

"What do you mean, 'what's the deal with Nessie'?" Jake had raised an eyebrow at me, and had momentarily paused in stuffing his face with Doritos.

And I said, "Well, I mean... I've met her once, and I know vampires don't age, but she's technically younger than me, so like... doesn't she go to school or don't they have to move around, or something?" Jake nodded in understanding, popped another chip into his mouth and then shrugged.

"Well, Doctor Cullen left Forks Hospital, like a decade ago, and the main family just sorta went away to a new town. Bella and Edward, Nessie's parents, still live in their house, but mainly because Bella doesn't want to leave her Dad, and Nessie doesn't want to leave me," He explained as if it was rocket science. At that moment Seth thrashed Quil on Gears of War 2, and they both let out wails - one of triumph, one of defiance.

"You cheated!" Quil immediately stated, his eyes narrowing at his so-called brother. Seth just laughed and ruffled what little hair Mr. Ateara had. This was the normal though, so I wasn't surprised when Quil decked him. I just shook my head and got up from the couch, ready to get some ice from the freezer in Jake's kitchen.

"What the fuck?!" The arguments that always followed the violence was unfortunately normal, too. "It's not my fault that you're a soar fucking loser!"

I groaned inwardly, opening the door to the freezer compartment. There were some bags of peas, old TV dinners, and a fish-stick or two, but no ice packs. OK, so it obviously wouldn't be much use giving a guy who consistently runs an insanely high temperature an ice pack, but still. I just grabbed a bag of peas and a popsicle for myself. I waited in the kitchen to pause in listening to the chorus of profanities, and I just had to lean against the wall next the Black's old refrigerator for a moment.

I'd been deeply thinking through what had happened in the past 24 hours. What I'd asked, Embry's unfinished reply, and then the line that Aunt Rach had dropped last night about Pack-Mothers. Getting ice packs, I sorta did feel like a PM. But I also felt too much like myself. I felt too much like the girl who had decided - perhaps only in a dream - that she'd stay on the Rez' for the rest of her life.

"Shit! You actually knocked him out!" I heard Jacob scream at either Quil or Seth, and I instantly dodged back into the lounge, just to find Quil rubbing his fist, whilst Seth was lying flat on the carpet next to the coffee table. Jake was still sitting down, still inhaling his Doritos, and I began to laugh.

"Idiots." I simply chuckled, handing Quil the frozen peas. He grinned goofily at me, and rested the the bag on his knuckles for a moment, then dropped it onto Seth's back. "When do ya think he'll come to?" I asked them, and Quil shrugged.

"Depends on how hard I hit him, which judging from the swelling was quite hard,"

I sat back down on the couch and unwrapped the popsicle.

"Orange or berry?" I heard Jake ask, and I glanced at him, perplexed. He rolled his eyes impatiently, then rephrased his question into one that someone as small-minded as me could understand. "You have a popsicle. And I'm not asking the obvious question as to why you didn't get me one, too, but I'm actually asking what flavor it is? Comprendo?"

I just glowered at him as Quilly collapsed on the couch next to me.

"Neither. It's lemon," I told him, and he shrugged, then finally went back to munching on Doritos.

Quil swung his arm lazily on the neck of the couch, right behind me, and let out a yawn. I'd almost forgotten that Sam and Jake had had the guys running double shifts last night, all because of some weird scent near Neah Beah. It turned out that it was only a raccoon corpse. Predictable, I know.

"You didn't get much sleep, did you," I stated as Quil rested his chin on my head. The close proximity between us was very noticeable to me, as was his heat. Don't get me wrong, it's great to have walking-talking-radiators in your family when you live in Washington, but sometimes, and I know this might sound... beyond wrong, but sometimes those boys can really make a girl sweat.

And come on, eww. They're my uncles. They're family. They're not, like, eye candy or something. However, they run a temperature of 105 degrees, and you can understand that it can be... inconvenient when in cramped quarters. With that said, it still didn't apply when it came down to Quil.

"Nope," He chuckled, popping the 'P'. He looked down at me for second, and blinked drowsily.

That was the moment when my cell began to vibrate, scaring the Hell outta the entire population of Jacob's lounge. Even Seth, who had been out for a good five minutes, stirred.

"Sorry..." I mumbled half-heartedly, forcing myself the retrieve the little plastic phone that was the source of the vibrations out of my jacket pocket. I checked the caller I.D., then answered. "Hello, Mom,"

"Hey, Claire, I was wondering if you could do me a massive favor?" I let her continue, and met Quil's curious gaze. He smiled at me, showing his freakishly white teeth, and I gave a small smile in response. "It's just... I got the job in Port Angeles from last week, and we're having my boss, Mr. Ath, over for dinner tonight. So, I was kinda hoping that you could clean up the kitchen and front room for me. Please, Kiddo?"

I took a moment to mentally have a laughing fit about his name. Mr. Ath? Was she serious? Who was called 'Ath'? Apparantly my Mother's new boss, that's who. "Sure, Mom. But I'm not cooking," I told her eventually.

"Thanks, I'll be home around 5:00, Honey," And with that she hung up. I slowly put my phone down on the couch cushion, then burst out laughing. Mr. Ath.

"You're so fucking weird..." Jacob just stared at me as I doubled over in pointless laughter. I knew I was weird, but Mom's new boss had a weird name. I had a right to laugh. Then I remembered what she had actually asked me to do, and I stopped laughing._ Me? Clean?_ Oh, Hell.

* * *

After Seth eventually woke up, seemingly unharmed, I demanded that Quil drive me as fast as he could back to my house. I only had an hour, but we had more than enough shit for me to clear up downstairs. Even with my verbal urgency, Quil never went over the speed limit - much to my annoyance - and we arrived at my little wooden house just over ten minutes after we left Jake's.

"Calm down," He told me as I attempted to open the passenger door of his old Toyota truck before he'd even slowed by the curb. I really wasn't usually one to rush, but I wanted to help Mom make a damn good impression, I really did. So, when Quil finally parked up, I literally hopped out of my seat and sprinted to the front door. We never lock the doors at our house, there's no point because if anyone tried to steal from us, then we have a whole two packs of werewolves ready to serve justice.

So, without having to fish for a key in my pocket, I pushed the door open and skidded into the front room - which was probably the messiest. Old magazines were strewn across the floor around the coffee table, and the dust on the mantlepiece above our fireplaces was visible even from where I stood. I knew that there were several wrappers shoved down the couch, and I knew this because I'd been the one to put them down there. I dived for my old beige couch first, digging in between the cushions till I'd retrieved at least twenty wrappers. Then as I backed away from the couch, on the verge of victorious, I heard Quil laugh.

"Want me to start in the kitchen?" He asked as I lowered a glare onto him. In response to his offer, I just nodded and went back to work in the front room.

Nearly an hour and a half later (thank God) I heard the front door open. I was sitting on the couch with my cleaning buddy, watching reruns of Scrubs in my reasonably clean front room. I was proud, and sorta hungry.

"Claire? Baby, I'm sorry we're so late, but the traffic on the 101! It took me twenty more minutes than usual just to get off at the off-ramp to Forks!" Mom shouted from where she was bustling in through the hallway. I looked at Quil, then readyed myself, and stood. I made my way to the doorway, aware that Quil had followed. And then I saw Mr. Ath.

The first words that came to mind were, 'OhMyGodHe'sSo... White'. Mr. Ath had a receding hairline, big green eyes and a tight lipped smile. He wasn't altogether bad-looking, but he really wasn't the person you'd try and score at a bar. He was... well, plain. And very white. I could tell from his khaki trousers and pink sweater that he was dorky, too. I didn't like him, not at all. But then his eyes fell upon me, he smiled a not very convincing smile, and then he spoke.

"It's nice to meet Marie's children," Quil snorted behind me, and I repressed the urge to elbow him.

"No, Claire's my daughter, Quil is... a very good family friend," Mom explained quickly, brushing her dark hair behind her ear for a moment. She gave us a reassuring smile, then continued with the introductions. "Claire, Quil, this is Gilbert Ath - my boss. And Gil, this is my family."

I stood there, completely frozen, trying desperately to contain the ferocious laughed that was filled to burst inside of me. Gilbert Ath? GILBERT? ATH? GILBERT FUCKING ATH???

Mentally: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

Audibly: "Oh, it's erm... nice to meet you, too, _Gilbert_,"

And I swear that I could feel Quil shaking with silent laughter behind me as well. At least I had some self control. But seriously. GILBERT. ATH.

This was going to be a long, long evening...


End file.
